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| 1xRTT |
A wide-area broadband wireless specification also known as CDMA2000. This
technology provides data connections at speeds of up to 144kbps.
However, users
will typically see speeds of 40-80kbps. 1xRTT is offered by CDMA carriers in
North America and a few other countries (Verizon Wireless currently being the
largest CDMA carrier in the USA.)
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| 802.11a |
A wireless local area network standard sometimes called “WiFi-5”. 802.11a
operates in the 5GHz frequency band and offers much higher speeds than 802.11b.
Note that the WiFi standards group no longer endorses the term WiFi-5 because
they are concerned that the public will assume that this implies the fifth
version of the WiFi standard. Therefore, they are backing the
(even more confusing) use of simply WiFi for both 802.11b and 802.11a.
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| 802.11b |
A wireless local area network standard generally known as
"WiFi". 802.11b
operates in the same frequency band as Bluetooth, but by utilizing direct
sequence spread spectrum operates at up to 11Mbps.
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| B
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| Bluetooth |
A personal area network that allows various electronic devices to wirelessly
communicate with each other within a distance limited to about 30 feet (10M).
Bluetooth was named for a Danish King that united the various Scaninavian
fifdoums, thus "bringing the peoples together" in much the same way that
Bluetooth technology brings different electronic devices
together. It should be
noted that the name “Bluetooth” was originally the “code name” assigned to the
development project. As sometimes happens, the code name stuck and was adopted
as the final name. |
| D
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| Direct Sequence |
A method of spread spectrum transmission where multiple channels are used
simultaneously. While this technique increases the speed of
transmission, (for
example in WiFi from 1.5MHz to 11MHz) it is more susceptible to interference
from other radio sources as well as being a greater source of interference
itself. In contrast Bluetooth utilizes the frequency hopping method of spread
spectrum. |
| Dongle |
A device that hangs outside of a computer, printer or phone to provide
Bluetooth connections. Most commonly, a Bluetooth adapter that connects to a
computer’s USB port. |
| DUN Profile |
Dial Up Networking (DUN) Profile. The Bluetooth profile used to simulate a conventional modem. Typically used to
connect a computer or PDA to the Internet via a Bluetooth enabled mobile phone. |
| F
|
| FAX Profile. | As the name implies, this Bluetooth
Profile is used to send fax (facsimile) transmissions. |
| Frequency Hopping |
A method of spread spectrum using multiple radio channels to reduce
interference and increase security. The signal is rapidly switched from
channel to channel many times per second in a pseudo-random pattern which known
by both the sender and receiver(s). Because of this
switching, interference
from a radio source at a particular frequency can be overcome by retransmitting
packets with errors. Also, data is generally more secure because it is not
possible to receive more than a fraction of the data unless the hopping pattern
is known. Bluetooth utilizes frequency hopping in the 2.4GHz radio band. |
| FP Profile |
File Transfer Profile (FP). This is the profile used to send files and/or
directories (folders) between devices. The two-letter acronym "FP" is used instead of "FTP" due
to the latter one is understood to mean the File Transfer Protocol commonly associated
with the Internet. |
| G
|
| GOEP Profile |
Generic Object Exchange Profile (GOEP). This is a
client-server profile that is generally used by other, higher-level,
profiles such as FP and SP to handle the actual data exchange. |
| GPRS |
An abbreviation for “General Packet Radio Service”. Like 1xRTT,
GPRS is a high-speed wireless data standard. While 1xRTT uses the CDMA
network,
GPRS is an upgrade to the GSM network used throughout Europe and in many areas
of the USA. Users should expect data speeds which are about 1/2 of that of
1xRTT. Further, because GPS networks in the USA (provided by
T-Mobile,
Cingular and ATT) are not as popular as CDMA, GPRS may not be as widely
available in North America as 1xRTT. However, because GSM is the only wireless
standard used in most of the rest of the world, there are many more phone
models available that support GPRS than 1xRTT. |
| GSM |
The digital cellular phone standard used throughout Europe and by a limited
number of carriers in the USA (the largest being Voicestream, Cingular and
ATT). GSM is available in three different frequency bands: 800MHz and 1800MHz
in Europe, and 1900MHz in the USA. Many current GSM phones support dual or
tri-bands as well as GPRS and in some cases, Bluetooth. |
| H
|
| HFP Profile |
Hands Free Profile (HFP). More complex than the Headset Profile, the
Hands Free Bluetooth Profile allows for information such as caller ID to be displayed by
the remote device in addition to providing the voice functionality. |
| HID Profile |
Human Interface Device (HID) Profile. The Bluetooth
profile used by computer keyboards, mice and game controllers. |
| HSP Profile |
Headset Profile (HSP). The Bluetooth profile used to send and receive voice,
typically between a mobile phone and a wireless headset. The HSP encodes the sound using the same
64K byte/sec (per channel) coding that is used by the wired telephone system. This format is designed to
reproduce voice well, but does not have the fidelity to adequately
reproduce music. In addition to transferring voice, the HSP can also
send modem AT commands. |
| O
|
| OPP Profile |
Object Push Profile (OPP.) The Bluetooth profile used to transfer data to another
Bluetooth device initiated by the sender (hence the term push) instead of the receiver. The
most common use of OPP is to send contact (vCard) or appointment (vCal) records. |
| P
|
| Piconet |
A group of devices that communicate with each other via
Bluetooth. The current
Bluetooth standard limits a Piconet to 8 or fewer devices.
However, a given
device can belong to more than one Piconet at a time. |
| Profile |
A formal description of the communications
protocols and information used to implement a specific usage of
Bluetooth. The use of Profiles provides
|
| S
|
| Spread Spectrum |
The term used to describe a number of methods of spreading a radio signal over
multiple frequencies, either simultaneously (direct sequence) or in series
(frequency hopping.) Bluetooth uses spread spectrum for added security and to
minimize radio frequency interference. |
| T
|
| Telematics |
Wireless communications and data capabilities
integrated with a vehicle to
provide such features as navigation and emergency services. By using Bluetooth
to allow a mobile handset (cellular phone) to be used as the communications
device for the vehicle, the user can avoid yet another wireless
service. |
| W
|
| Wi-Fi |
An abbreviation for "Wireless Fidelity" which is a
trade name given to the
802.11b wireless local area network standard. Wi-Fi operates at speeds from
1-11Mbps with an effective range of about 150Meters. Since Wi-Fi operates in the
same frequency range as Bluetooth, it is possible to see interference when both
types of wireless technology are used in the same location.
However, the
results will not be a complete network failure, but rather, a
degradation in
the network performance caused by the interference. |
| Z
|
| Zigbee |
An emerging standard for short-range,
low-bandwidth wireless communications. Like the confusion with
Wi-Fi, many people see Zigbee as a potential replacement for
Bluetooth. However, Zigbee is targeted to a different usage
model than Bluetooth. You can think of Zigbee as a radio version
of the X10 home controller system. The goal for Zigbee is to
provide simple and low cost control of appliances and other
devices. Like the early days of Bluetooth, there is far more
hype associated with Zigbee than |
